this morning, oscar pistorius back in court. >> the olympian appearing before a judge, once again, said to be sobbing uncontrollably. the world watching the small courthouse, where we're learning more about that fateful night. all this on the day his girlfriend's family says their good-byes. also this morning, cyber warfare. breaking overnight, invasive attacks on u.s. interests online. and now, we may know who's behind them. severe storms. rough weather is in store for millions today. and a daredevil with a driver's license going end-over-end in a mini cooper.

and good morning. we begin with breaking news. emotional, new details about the murder case against olympic runner oscar pistorius. >> those details all stem from last thursday's shooting death of pistorius' model girlfriend. they're being laid out in a small courthouse in pretoria, south africa. here's tahman bradley. >> reporter: oscar pistorius appeared in court this morning for a bail hearing. the double-amputee is charged with murdering his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp on valentine's day. >> i saw him as a lonely young man. very heartbroken and sad. >> reporter: despite the murder charge, one legal expert thinks pistorius has a shot at bail. >> everybody knows who he is. it's not as if he can hide and

get a passport and go overseas without anybody noticing him. >> reporter: pistorius' family and friends insist the shooting is an accident. but new details about the case may make it difficult to prove self-defense. pistorius applied for six separate firearms licenses just last month. and another report cites police sources saying that a bloody cricket bat is a key piece of evidence, possibly used in an argument before the shooting. meanwhile, steenkamp's loved ones gathered for a private memorial. >> the family coming together, for the one person who would be the strongest that held us all together unfortunately is not here anymore. that's my sister. >> reporter: a reality show featuring steenkamp, now airing in south africa, includes these words. >> i'm going to miss you all so much. i love you very, very much. >> reporter: two of pistorius'

major sponsors have distanced themselves from him. oakley and nike. >> thanks for that report. court is in a break right now. we expect the hearing to take the better part of the morning there, pretoria, south africa. keep it here on abc. we'll bring you the latest on what should be an emotional, interesting day in court. a lot of questions. now, we move on to syria, one of the most dangerous hot spots on the planet. after two years of bloody conflict, a u.n. panel says the government and those rebels should be charged with war crimes. >> abc's terry moran made the journey to the heart of this battle, the capital of damascus. >> reporter: the road from beirut to damascus. we drove into syria along this heavily guarded route, checkpoint after checkpoint after checkpoint. it is now a lifeline, as damascus, the stronghold of the government of president bashar assad, becomes a city under siege. it is a dirty war, in a crucial

country. just look at the map. the chaos engulfing syria threatens to spill over into iraq on one side, israel and lebanon on the other. a nightmare scenario for the u.s. the united nations now estimates that 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting. though, no one really knows. damascus is quiet tonight. some light traffic. no one really walking around. 5 million people hunkered down, as the terrible war that is tearing their country apart has now arrived here, in fierce battles raging in the city's suburbs. >> that is terry moran in damascus. terry is in syria, with permission from the government there. he'll be reporting on the conflict throughout the week. one more note from overseas. we learned overnight who is likely responsible for recent internet attacks on the u.s. government and businesses. a security firm tells "the new york times" it can tie those attacks to the chinese army. the company has traced the

attacks to a building in shanghai used by an army unit. other security firms and u.s. government agencies also believe the hacking is government-sponsored. and back here at home, it will be a day of severe weather in many states. a storm now on the move brought dangerous conditions to the dakotas and western minnesota. two people, in fact, were killed in interstate pileup near fargo. drivers were warned to stay off the roads, as visibility was reduced to near zero. even plows were pulled because they simply could not keep up with all that blowing and drifting snow. and a few thousand customers are without power in arkansas this morning after severe weather moved through that state, as well. there were no reports of immediate injuries. golf ball-sized hail was reported in the town of prescot. and with more on the coming storms, here's jim dickey. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and diana. we're tracking a storm system that will be the big

weathermaker. we'll track for a couple days. it rolls down the coast of california. soaking rainfall in san francisco. that rain arrives late in l.a. we'll see heavy snow in the sier sierra nevada. it rolls into the plains. looking for blizzard conditions in nebraska, into south dakota on thursday, with potential for strong thunderstorms once again. rob and diana, back to you. >> thank you, jim. the colorado house has passed new gun control measures. it's a bill being watched across the country. house democrats passed new ammunition limits and expanded background checks as part of a package of bills responding to the recent mass shootings. one of the shootings was at a movie theater in aurora, that left 12 people dead. the legislation faces an uncertain fate in the state senate. president obama gets back to work today for the first time since s s state of the uni address. he returned to the white house last night after traveling to promote his plans for the economy, immigration and for gun control, as well.

and after a long holiday weekend of golf in florida. today, the president will be back in the oval office. and it's official. mississippi has abolished slavery. the state's legislature formally ratifying the constitution's 13th amendment in 1995. but the ratification document was never presented to the u.s. archivesi archivesist. it was discovered only after citizens saw the movie "lincoln," which just came out, and did some investigation. >> better late than never, i guess. slow but we get there. coming up next, is walmart in trouble? leaked e-mails refer to the worst sales month ever. then, it's our top story this morning. oscar pistorius back in court, as his sponsors now begin to drop her support. and later in the show, would you have the guts to do that?

welcome back, everybody. recapping our breaking news this morning. prosecutors in south africa are accusing olympian oscar pistorius of premedicated murder in the killing of his girlfriend last wednesday. a defense attorney claims pistorius was acting in self-defense when he fired through a bathroom door, killing reeva steenkamp. and in related news, many of the companies that were sponsoring pistorius are starting to distance the sprinter. nike is pulling ads. oakley eyewear has canceled its ads. walmart executives appear

worried about the retail giant's sales this month. internal e-mails called the sales a total disaster and the worst start to a month ever. the execs blame the payroll tax increase that took effect january 1st, as well as delayed tax refunds. and two major office supply chains are reportedly talking about a merger. office max and office depot have been hit hard by the economy, as well as rivals staples and costco. burger king sure isn't loving this. its twitter account was hacked yesterday. for a while, the name and logo were changed to mcdonald's. and the message was sent, saying that burger king had been sold because its signature burger, the whopper, of course, had flopped. when the account was restored, burger king tweeted that it had been, quote, an interesting day. to say the least. and call this a kevin bacon effect applied to the internet. while there's 14 billion web

pages, they're apparently all connected. a hungaryian physicists says that one website is separated by any other by 19 clicks or less. while some have links, stories act as hubs. >> very interesting. think the worldwide web would be a smaller world than that. 19, huh? >> it is a small world, after all. >> you didn't get points for that. >> serious news we're doing. next on this tuesday morning, more serious news. alec baldwin's newest problem with the ever-present paparazzi. alarming, new details about the newtown shooter, adam lanza. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] everyday thousands of people are choosing advil®. my name is taho and i'm a fish guy. it's a labor of love. it's a lot of labor and it's a lot of love. i don't need to go to the gym. my job is my workout. you're shoveling ice all day long. it's rough on the back. it's rough on the shoulders. i get muscle aches all over. advil® is great.

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it's delicious! another angry-satisfied customer. you don't need toppings! and that is why we're fixing this. hey earth! stop topping triscuit! [ male announcer ] 100% whole grain woven for an untoppable taste. big things are on the move again in southern california. you might remember the shuttle "endeavour" being moved through the streets of l.a.

well, now these giant drums, each weighing 500,000 pounds are being hauled through city streets to an oil refinery near l.a.x. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. it will be wet along i-5, from los angeles to san francisco. expect snow, sleet and freezing rain in kentucky. and thunderstorms along i-10, from tallahassee to jacksonville. >> and it's a tough day for air travel out there, with delays possible in san francisco, los angeles, detroit and several major hubs along the east coast. keep your patience, folks. new details about the school shooting tragedy in connecticut. there's reports that adam lanza may have been competing with another serial killer. >> investigators are looking, now, at a possible link between lanza and a mass murderer in norway. authorities found several news articles about the 2011 norway massacre in lanza's bedroom. 77 folks killed in that event.

also, george zimmerman's wife, shelly, will be in a courtroom to ask that her perjury case be dismissed. after her husband, a neighborhood watch leader, was charged with killing trayvon martin, she testified they were broke, even they they did have access at the time to more than $130,000. she faces five years in prison if convicted. it's happened all over again. actor alec baldwin has had another run-in with the paparazzi. he was the focus of attention walking around his manhattan neighborhood on monday. reporters were trying to get his reaction to a photographer's claim that baldwin used a racial slur during a confrontation over the weekend. but baldwin had very little to say. >> can you set the record straight? >> i thought i was doing that with you. >> in a statement, baldwin called the photographer's claim, totally bogus. baldwin and that photographer have filed complaints with police. those who knew country singer mindy mccready are asking

if something could have been done to help her. mccready had threatened to kill herself after losing custody of one of her sons earlier this month, and should not have been allowed to leave court-ordered rehab. she is the fifth cast member from "celebrity rehab" to die. magic johnson calls the late dr. jerry buss, the long-time owner of the lakers, a visionary and an incredible businessman. buss bought the team in 1989. and he is credited with effortlessly bringing together top-named talent and high-priced coaches. buss died on monday after a long battle with cancer. he was 80 years old. and the lakers do not take the floor again until tomorrow. as for college hoops, now, though, we get highlights from espn. >> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. >> brittney griner and baylor taking on uconn, at the bell

centre. pick it up second half. getting the ball down low. and muscling her way through with the bucket. she had just four points in the first half. then, she would turn it up. griner right there. 10 of 21 shooting in the contest. baylor by three. just over a minute to play. griner sinking the free throw. that's her 3,000th career point. she finished with 25 points. baylor wins it, 76-70. number 20, pittsburgh, hosting number 25, notre dame. both teams looking to bounce back after suffering losses. notre dame, couldn't make a basket early. tom knight, nothing. and jack -- no. are you kidding me? that's more than nine misses. notre dame, 11-1. knight making the bucket, finally. the first field goal of the game. coach mike brett, obviously upset. getting teed up for that. and later, looks like they needed that. the bucket to go in. notre dame ended the half on a

16-5 run. later, terence grant, sinking the three. he had 13 points in the game. notre dame up four. later, collins finding kuehly. 13 points, 9 boards. notre dame by nine. under two to play. adkins, ten points, seven helpers in the game. after the ugly start, notre dame wins it, 51-42. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great day. this is pretty incredible. viral video shot high in the french alps. a guy in a modified mini cooper, doing what's never been done before. he drives it straight up a ramp. you'll see it here in a second. and the car, watch it. it does a back flip. full-on backflip. >> the stunt being touted as the world's first-ever backflip in a car, was four years in the making. >> that's a cool-looking mini. >> different tires than what you

see on the highway. >> you need good suspension. coming up next, "the pulse." and enough rest for hillary clinton already. she's already back to work, if you can believe it. and chose a very lucrative way to do it. plus, the first lady explains her well-publicized new do. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat

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a neutral palette with a pop of color that makes my green eyes stand out. and there's one for every eye color. all right. time to check "the pulse" this morning the stories that people are talking about. and first up, forget about "the big bang theory" here. we have the first on the first

lady's bangs. >> mrs. obama explains why to rachael ray she made such a dramatic change before the inauguration. >> this is my mid life crisis. i couldn't get a sports car. they won't let me bungee jump. so, instead, i cut my bangs. >> kept it pretty tame. the first lady turned 39 on january 17th. there's no telling what she's going to do when she hits the big 5-0 next year. >> looking good. a former first lady, now, and former secretary of state, back in the news this morning. the one and only hillary clinton, has now signed on with a top agency and will be hitting the speaking circuit starting this spring. >> you can already hear the cash coming in. cha-ching. it's likely mrs. clinton will command the same fee her husband gets. one tally says mr. clinton, the former president, has made more than $89 million making speeches since leaving the white house. >> wow. 89.

never would have guessed that high. >> they won't even pay me. >> the president's salary is $400,000 a year. >> president obama's like, let's get out of here. >> 2016. here we go. michael jackson's oldest son is only 16 years old. but he's already making a name for himself. prince jackson has landed his first job as a special correspondent for "entertainment tonight." >> they grow up so fast. at a time when most kids are getting ready for the s.a.t.s, prince jackson was covering a junket for "oz the great and powerful." he says he wants to be a well-rounded director and actor someday. and talk about ambition. look at what this 9-year-old is doing. nicholas is getting ready to run a marathon in antarctica. >> he's doing it for a good cause. it's called operation warm, which provides coats for needy kids across the u.s. by the time he runs one marathon on each of the seven continents, nicholas wants to raise $1

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zyrtec®. love the air. updating the top stories. olympian oscar pistorius became emotional during a bail hearing in south africa today, as his lawyers and prosecutors argued over whether the death of his girlfriend was premeditated murder. and an american computer company says it's traced many hack attacks on businesses, organizations and government agencies to shanghai and a building used by the chinese army. and drivers were told to stay off of the roads as blizzard conditions pounded the dakotas and minnesota. at least four people were killed in crashes. whiteout conditions have reduced visibility to zero. a look at today's weather. rain and strong winds in california. extreme cold in the nation's midsection. stormy along the south coast. and storms possible in south

florida. now, our countdown to the oscars. some are very lucky enough to get close to their favorite stars on the red carpet. >> how does a devoted moviegoer snag some of the hot seats? brandi hitt reveals all. >> reporter: they are the exclusive seats on the oscar red carpet that get you up close and personal with hollywood's biggest stars. but these 700 tickets are very hard to come by. >> i hear someone screaming. >> reporter: just ask movie fan, robert arsenal and his wife, judy. the couple from canada won two tickets to the red carpet, beating out 20,000 people. there's also a lot of lessons here. >> i never won anything in my life. >> reporter: seats have been awarded to fans. >> you're going to the oscar red carpet. >> reporter: during the first-ever oscar road trip.

remember that famous scene in "when harry met sally"? jessica re-enacted it so well in new york, that they won red carpet seats. so did a fan who did his best "rocky" impression. the bleacher creatures from around the world are connecting through facebook and sharing their personal stories. >> i've watched the oscars as long as i can remember. my mother was a real movie fan. >> reporter: and you'll have a chance to win bleacher tickets to next year's oscars when the online entry opens up again this fall. brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. >> those are devoted fans. >> how far would you go to get a ticket? >> a golden ticket? would you do -- would you be sally in "when harry met sally"? don't do it now. >> i wouldn't go that far. the best seat in the house is your couch. at home, comfortable, this time of year. you w